Street or station indicator



(No Model.) I 4 Sheets-Sheet 1-. L. GOLDSTONE.

STREET 0R STATION INDICATOR.

No. 439,941. Patented Nov. 4, 1890.

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(No Model.) L. GOLDSTONE. 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

STREET 0R STATION INDICATOR.

No. 439,941. Patented Nov. 4, 1890.

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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3. L. GOLDSTONE.

I STREET 0R STATION INDICATOR. No. 439,941 Patented Nov. 4, 1890.

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(No Model.) 4Sheets-Sheet 4.

L. GOLDSTONE.

STREET OR STATION INDICATOR.

No. 439,941 Patented Nov. 4, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS GOLDSTONE, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

STREET OR STATION INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,941, dated November 4, 1890.

' Application filed January 20, 1890. Serial No. 337,544. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS GOLDSTONE, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Street or Station Indicators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of said invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it most nearly appertains to make, use, and practice the same.

My invention relates to an electrical indicator for exhibiting the names of streets or stations in street-cars or other railways.

It consists of two circular disks mounted on a shaft journaled in suitable hearings in an open or glass-covered case and adapted to bring to View in regular rotation cards bearing the names of streets or stations along the route. The cards on which these names are exhibited are inserted into peculiarly-constructed sheet-metal frames hinged to and radiating from the inner periphery of the disks. The front face of one card and the back of another are exposed at one time. The cards are thus displayed by turns as fast as the shaft carrying them is rotated The Whole is operated by a train of gears and an escapement which is actuated by an electric current through the medium of electro-mag- The electric circuit is made and broken by a lever depending from the under side of the car coming in contact with an obstruction on the street or track. A bell placed in a separate electric circuit and connected to the actuating mechanism of the indicator is also sounded whenever a new card is brought into sight.

Referring to the drawings herewith, forming part of this specification, and in which like letters of reference indicate like parts in all the views, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved indicator and card-exhibitor. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the device applied to a car. Fig. 3 is a side view of the obstruction and the actuating-lever set in operation thereby. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation looking from the left of Fig. 1. Fig

5 is a similar view, partly broken, taken through the right end of Fig. 1, but looking also from the left. Fig. 6 is a broken front elevation with the glass cover removed. Fig. 7 is a front view of one of the cards and cardframes. Fig. 8 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken from the middle of Fig. 7. Fig. 10 is a broken side elevation of the bell-operating mechanism and means connecting the same with the escapement. same. Fig. 12 is a front elevation of the same also. Fig. 13 is a detail view of abroken ring used in connection with the bell-ringing mechanism. Fig. 14 is a broken side elevation of the escapement. Fig. 15 is a diagram showing the electrical connections, and Fig. 16 is a rear elevation of the actuating-lever.

Letter A represents a street-car, and B a box or case set up therein in full view of the passengers. Within the case B, I laya shaft 0, supported on gudgeons a, projecting from the sides of the box, as shown in Fig. 6.

To the shaft 0 are keyed two circular disks D D at a short distance apart. These disks carry pins 1), projecting inwardly from their inner edge at regular intervals, and to these pins are hinged rectangular frames adapted to receive cards E.

The cardframes are made of sheet-metal strips in four pieces, as illustrated in Figs. 7, 8, and 9. The upper strip 0 is curved downward and the lower one (Z upward, so as to form grooves for the insertion of the cards, and both are united by flat strips 6 f, the upper end of which is secured within 0 and the lower end formed into a loop g, for the reception of the pins 1), and then pressed into (i. The advantage of this construction lies in the fact that I thereby produce a good servicable card-frame at low cost, and one into which the cards may be quickly inserted and from which they may be as readily removed.

The width of the cards E is regulated so that two of them may be displayed at one timethat is to say, the face of one and the reverse of the other, as represented in Fig. 1, the lower card being left hanging while the upper one is kept back in position by a stop F. (See Figs. 4 and 5.)

The shaft C is driven by means of a spring G and a train of gears H I J, connected therewith, as fully illustrated in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, the spring being wound so as to turn Fig. 11 is a top view of the' the shaft and dependent disks and cards forward. The rotation of the shaft is,however, habitually checked through the medium of the cog-wheel K, the pinion L, the laterallystudded wheel- M, and the correspondinglystudded armature N. (Represented at the right of Figs. 5 and 6.) The cog-wheel K is made fast to the shaft, while the pinion L engaging it forms part of the wheel M with which it is adapted to turn on a spindle O, projecting inwardly from the end of the case. The studs or pins h of the wheel M project outwardly and are fitted to engage alternately the studs or pins 11 i, projecting inwardly from the armature N, thereby arresting the revolution of the shaft. This armature is pivoted to lugs jj at the bottom of the box 13 and stands up across the poles of magnets P P set before it inside the case. A spiral spring Q brings N to its usual upright posit-ion when released-from the magnets, while a set-screw R prevents it from falling backward. Wires Z Z connect a battery S, placed under one of the car-seats, (see Fig. 2,) with the magnet P and a metallic plate R, and corresponding wires m 'm lead, respectively, from the magnet P and plate R to a swinging bar or metallic lever T and to a spring U. (Both shown in Fig. 3.) The spring U is secured to a plate of non-conducting material V under the bottom of the car A, so as to keep it insulated, and the lever T hung byapivot n in abracket W, attached to the under side of the car ata short distance from the spring U. Spiral springs 19 p, attached to the bracket W and to the lever T on each side thereof, (see Fig. 16,) bring back the latter into its vertical position after it has been swung forward or backward. A roller 1, attached to the lower end of T, prevents too great a friction between it and the obstructions X, which are fixed at suitable intervals along the car-line so as to encounter this lever.

It is apparent from the above description that all that is needed to complete the electric circuit between the magnetsPP and the lever T and spring U. is to bring T and U into contact, which is effected through the medium of the obstruction X meeting the lever T. The electric currentbeing established, the armature N is of course immediately drawn toward the magnets, and the pin it of the wheel M, actually engaged by the pin 1' of the armature, permitted to escape and fall into engagement with the pin a" of N, thus allowing the shaft 0 to rotate, but not sufficiently to let the card resting against the stop F to drop. As soon, however, as the obstruction has been passed, the sprin s p p re-establish thebalance of the lever T, therebybreakin g the electric circuit, the armature N pulled back by the spring Q, the pin it freed from the pin 'i', and the card allowed to fall down by a further turn of the shaft. The card having escaped from the stop F, this second rotation of the shaft 0 is again checked by another pin it of the wheel M engaging the pin 1. of the armature until new obstructions are met, when the operation just described is repeated.

The manifest object of having two pins'it" on the armature N alternately engaged by the, pins h of the wheel M is to so graduate the rotation of the shaft 0 as to prevent the dropping of two cards at one time, and, further, to permit the armature to swing to and fro before the shaft has turned much. The latter feature is a valuable improvement, inasmuch as I am thus enabled to use more cards with the same size of exhibitor than could otherwise be employed.

The above enumerated parts constitute a complete indicator; but to draw the attention of the traveling public to the cards exhibited therein I make use of an electric bell Y, placed in an electrical circuit and worked from a separate battery S. (Represented in Figs. 2 and 15.) The bell-hammer forms part of an armature s, placed across the poles of magnets r r. Tires Hand 25 lead, respectively, from the battery S and the magnets 'r to a broken metallic ring Z and a cog-wheel Z, separately connected with one end of the box B close to the armature N. A metallic tongue 10, secured to and projecting from the circumference of Z, so as to habitually rest opposite the cut of Z, is provided, in order to complete the electric circuit by contact with the broken ring when the wheel Z is allowed to revolve. (See Figs. 10, 11, 12, and 13.) Motion is imparted to this wheel by a coil-spring 12; but it is habitually checked by a stop to, projecting from Z and resting upon the top of the armature N when the latter stands in a vertical plane. Thus it will be seen that the revolution of the wheel Z is wholly dependent upon the position of the armature N, and that when the latter is drawn forward by the action of the magnets P P the former is freed and keeps turning until the stop to again encounters the armature as it falls back into place, the bell, of course, being sounded as long as the tongue 10 is kept in contact with the ring Z. I retard the rota tion of the wheel Z by means of a fly 0c, op-

erated by a pinion 1 connected to Z within the bracket 2, as shown at Figs. 10 and 11, and thus keep the bell ringing long enough to be heard by all the car-passengers and call their attention to the matter printed or otherwise inscribed upon the cards of the indicator.

It will be noticed by reference to the diagram of the electrical connections represented by Fig. 15 that the electric circuits may be closed independently of the lever T and the springU by simply moving the switch 2 from the post on which it bears to the next post on the right. Thus a carconductor is enabled by alternately producing and breaking the electric current to bring forward new cards in case the indicator fails from any cause to register a given street, or it is wanted to alter the, arrangement of the cards for a particular trip. If, on the other hand, a card should drop into sight before the proper time, this can be remedied by setting the switch off the posts altogether, thereby cutting off the circuit that would be established by the contact of the lever T and the spring U.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a street and station indicator, the combination of a card-bearing shaft, means for rotating the same, a studded wheel upon a second shaft, a pinion adjacent thereto and turning therewith, a cog-wheel on the cardbearing shaft, with which the pinion meshes, a pivoted armature provided with inwardlyextending studs adapted to be engaged alternately by the outwardly-projecting pins of the studded wheel, magnets arranged in front of the armature and having their poles facing the same so as to abnormally contact therewith, a spring for returning .the armature to its normal position, a set-screw or adjustable stop for the armature, and electrical connection with the magnets for alternately disengaging and bringing into engagement the armature and magnets, whereby the shaft is allowed to partly rotate, substantially as set forth.

2. In a street and station indicator, the com bination of a card-carrying shaft, means for rotating the same, a studded wheel upon a second shaft, a correspondingly-studded armature, magnets arranged in front of the armature, a battery, a spring-actuated swinging bar or'metallic lever, a spring secured to a plate of non-conducting material upon the carbottom, a roller 'journaled in the end of the swinging lever, wires for connecting the battery with the magnets and with the metallic lever and spring, respectively, and an obstruction adapted to engage the lever and actuate the same so as to contact with the spring, and thereby complete the electrical circuit, substantially as set forth.

3. In a street and station indicator, the combination, with a card-carrying shaft, means for rotating the same, a studded wheel upon a second shaft, a correspondingly-studded armature, magnets arranged in front of the armature, a battery, a switch-board and lever, an actuated bar or metallic lever, a spring secured to a plate of non-conducting material upon the car-bottom, a roller journaled in the end of the actuated lever, adapted to be engaged by an obstruction, wires connecting the battery with one of the magnets and with the switch-board, and corresponding wires leading from the other magnet and switch-board to the metallic bar or lever and to the spring secured to the car-bottom, substantially as set forth.

4. In a street and station indicator, the combination of a bell, a battery, a bell-hammer forming part of an armature, electro-magnets for actuating said armature, a bracket, a shaft journaled therein and carrying acog wheel providedrwith a laterally-projecting tongue and a forwardly-projecting stop, a spring upon said shaft, a broken metallic ring, the cut thereof adapted to register with the lateral tongue of the cog-wheel, a shaft in the rear of the bracket, said shaft carrying a pinion meshing with the cog-wheel, and also provided with a fly, an armature adapted in its normal position to support the forwardlyextending stop of the cog-wheel, means for electrically operating said last-named armature, and wires leading, respectively, from the battery and the magnets to the broken metallic ring and the cog-wheel, substantially as set forth.

5. In an indicator, a card-frame composed of upper and lower sheet-metal strips 0 d, folded inwardly so as to receive cards, and end strips (2 f, uniting the same and provided with loops g to form hinges for said frame, substantially as set forth.

6. The lever T, having the side spring 19 p, and the roller g, substantially as and forthe purposes described.

7. An indicator comprisinga bell, an armature to ring the same, electro-magnets to operate said armature, an electric battery, a broken ring, a wheel, a spring to revolve said wheel, electric wires connecting said magnets, battery, ring, and wheel, a tongue projecting from said wheel opposite the break in said ring and adapted to complete the electric circuit by coming into contact with said ring during the revolution of said wheel, and an escapement to alternately permit and check said revolution, and thereby alternately pro duce and break the contact between said tongue and ring, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS GOLDSTONE.

In presence of JOSEPH NAPHTALY, SAMUEL GoLDsToNE. 

